Velocipede



ModeL) 7 4 Sheets-Sheet I.

H. KARLSS. Velocipede'.

No.-238,9I5. Patented March I5, -I 8 8I.

. I V I MW N.PETER8, PHOTD-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D c

4Sheeta-Sheet 2. H KARLSS Velocipede.

Pafgnted March 15,188].

(ModeL) 4Sheets-Sheet3.

H. KARLSS.

No. 238,915. 4 Patented March 15,1881.

W1 TNEESES- N. PETERS, PHOTO-LIYHOGFIAPHER, WASHKNGTON. D. C:

(Model 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. v

H. KARLSS.

Velocipede. Patented March 15,188].

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFF CE.

HELANDER KARLSS, OF OHIOAGQILLINOIS.

VELOCIPEDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 238,915, dated March15, 1881. Application filed December 9, 1880. (ModeL) To all whom it mayconcern;

Be it known that I, HELANDER KARLSS, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Velocipedes, of which the following is a specification.

The object I have in view is to produce a "elocipede in which the speedcan be changed from slow to fast, or vice versa, at pleasure, or thevelocipede can be made to run forward or backward without changing orreversing the manner of applying the motive power.

My object is further to provide velocipedes with more eflicient steeringmechanism and with an automatic bell-ringing device, and, in general, toso improve machines of this class that they can be run easier and willbe under more complete control than heretofore.

My invention consists in the variousnoyel devices and combinations ofdevices employed by me, as fully hereinafter explained, and pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, Figure l is a sideelevation of the velocipede with the nearest wheels removed; Fig. 2, avertical section through the frame, showing a portion of the mechanismin elevation from the opposite side Fig. 3, a ,top view of thesteering-handles and their immediate connections Fig. 4, a horizontalsection of the machine on line 4 4 in Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a bottom view ofthe frame of the machine, showing the brake-connections; and Fig. 6, atop view of the pawl-adjusting lever.

Like letters denote corresponding parts in all the figures.

The Velocipede has a main frame or platform, A, supported by the tworear wheels, B B, and connected by means of a swivel-joint, a, with thefront platform, A, which is supported by the front wheels, 0 O.

From the main platform rise standards D, in which is journaled the shaftb of the heavy balance wheel E, supported between such standards.

On one end of the shaft 1), outside of one of the standards, is secureda ratchet-wheel, F, having two ratchets, c c, with teeth beveled inopposite directions. This ratchet-wheel is embraced by the arms 01 of avertically-sliding frame,.F, which arms slide on the plain sur face ofthe wheel F between the ratchets. v

To the outside of the frame F, near its forward edge, is pivoted a pawl,G-, having preferably a number of teeth. This pawl projects down againstthe outside of the forward arm, d, and is thrown by a spring intoconnection with the outer set of ratchet-teeth, 0. 0n the inner side ofthe frame F, near its rear edge, is pivoted another pawl, G, similar inconstruction to the pawl G, and projecting down on the inner side of therear arm, d. This spring locking-bar, H, which engages with notches in asegment, f, rising from the frame F. By swinging the lever H to theuppermost limit of its movement thepawl G will be thrown into connectionwith the ratchet-teeth 0, and the pawl G will be swung away from theratchet-teeth c, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, while by dropping such leverto the lowest limit of its movement the pawl G will be thrown into, andthe pawl G moved out of, engagement with their respective ratchetteeth.If the lever is held at an intermediate point, both pawls will be out ofengagement with the ratchets, and the movement of the operating-lever,to be presently described, will not affect the machine. Whenthe pawl Gis in connection with its ratchet the velocipede will be driven forward,the pawl G turns the balance-wheel in. the opposite direction, andpropels the machine backward without any change in the motions of theoperator.

1 is the operating-lever, having a pivoted foot-rest, g, for receivingthe foot of the driver. This lever is pivoted at its forward end to thebrace h, and has a slotted plate, It, in which the pin f of the slidingframe F works, so that such frame will be moved verticallyby thelever I.

The wheel F has a wrist-pin, which is connected by a pitman, t, with theinner end of a horizontal spring-lever, J. This lever J is pivoted inthe top of a standard, j, and atits outer end is connected with a rod,j, passing through the head of a vertical cylinder, J. A spiral spring,J is held on this rod j within the cylinder, and resists the upwardmovement of the outer end, and the downward movement of the inner end,of the lever J. This spring is compressed when the wheel F is beingforced by either pawl, and it assists said wheel when the pawls arebeing retracted. To allow for the lateral play of the outer end of thespring-lever J the cylinder J is preferably mounted on trunnions, sothat it can swing a limited distance.

An arm, K, is connected to the joint at the juncture of the pitman i andspring-lever J, which arm extends upwardly, and has a slot, k, in itsupper end, which plays on a stud, k, projecting from the operating leverI. A spring, 70 acts upon the lever I and arm K, so as to keep the studk at the upper end of the slot 70. The spring J in the cylinder J notonly assists the upward movement of the pitman i, but throws theoperating-lever up at the end of each stroke. In forcing down the leverI the pawl, in operative engagement, first acts on the wheel F. Thepitman t, at the first part of the movement, does not travel downwardlyso fast as the operating-lever on account of the lateral motion of suchpitman. This difference in motion is taken up by the slot k and spring10 The spring J is compressed by this downward movement until the lowercenteris passed, when such spring throws up the operating-lever andsliding frame and retracts the pawl, and at the same time forces thepitman up and turns the wheel F to its first position, ready forengagement with the operating-pawl. This movement has no dead-centers,and it is exceedingly easy on the operator.

The balance-wheel E, which is revolved by the means set forth, isgrooved on its periphcry to receive a belt, L, which passes around apulley, I, connected by a train of powergearing, Z, l l and l, with therear drivingaxle, L. This connection with the balancewheel is for givinga slow motion to the velocipede.

On the end of the shaft 11 opposite to that on which the ratchet-wheel Fis secured is fixed a grooved pulley,M, around which a belt, M, passesto a pulley, m, secured directly to the axle L. This direct connectionis for drivin g the velocipede at a high rate of speed.

Fortightenin g the belts L M alternately, and thus changing the speedfrom fast to slow, or vice versa, as desired, I employ the followingmeans: To a standard, a, rising from the main platform is pivoted abell-crank, N, carrying a tightening-wheel, N, on the end of itshorizontal arm, which rides on the belt L. The

, vertical arm of the bell-crank is connected by a rod, 41/, with avertical lever, N which is pivoted to a standard, and at its upper endis N with- There is connected with a horizontal rack-bar, in convenientreach of the operator.

also pivoted to the standardna double bar, 0, carrying tightening-wheelsO 0 which are located above and below the belt M. This bar 0 has avertical arm, 0, rigidly connected thereto, to which is pivoted a rod, 0connected with the lever N This lever has anumber of holes, 0 for makingconnection with rods n and 0, so that such rods can be adjusted withrelation to each other and the fulcrum of such lever. When the operatordraws the rack-bar N 3 toward him, the belt L will be tightened and thebelt M will hang loose. The velocipede will then have a slow motion. Bypushing the bar N from him the operator can tighten the belt M andloosen the belt L, and thus greatly in crease the speed of thevelocipede, without necessitating a quicker movement of theoperating-lever; or, by locking the rack-bar N at an intermediate point,both belts will be slack, and the balance-wheel and operating-lever canbe stopped without stopping the machine. This last adjustment would beused in rnnnin g down hill, allowing the operator to give all hisattention to steering and to applying the brake.

The seat, P, for the operator is mounted on bars P, hooked into eyes onthe head of the standards D. These bars are supported at their rear endsby a spring-hook, P on a vertically-adjustable bar, B. By these meansthe seat-bars and seat can be readily removed, and the seat can beadjusted vertically to suit the operator. A bracket, 19, rises from thestandards D, and has a stationary spindle, p, on which is mounted thesteering-wheel Q. This wheel is turned by handles Q, which are pivotedvertically to independent collars on the spindle p These handles engagewith notches p in the top edge of the wheel Q, and can be advancedindependently from one notch to another, so that the operator can turnthe wheel the desired distance with but little movement of the handles.

In front of the wheel Q is a vertical revolving spindle, Q having atoothed wheel, q, which engages with holes q in the wheel Q. The spindleQ has a sprocket-wheel below the wheel g, which is connected by a chain,f, with a sprocket-wheel on a vertical shaft, B. This shaftiR slidesfreely through a double-swiveled ring, 1, supported on a level with thetops of the standards D, and at its lower end it is connected by adouble-swiveled joint, 4", with a pinion, r (shown in dotted lines inFig. 4,) which pinion is journaled on a stud secured to the center ofthe front platform, A. The spindles that carry the front wheels, 0 O,are pivoted on thefront platform, and carry segmental gears R R, whichengage with opposite sides of the pinion 1. When the shaft B is turnedthe segments R R will be moved in opposite directions, and thevelocipede will be steered in the desired direction without turning thefront platform, A. By mounting the steering-shaft R in the mannerdescribed, and operating it by a chain-connection, the front platformcan turn on its swivel to conform with y i iy Y the unevenness of theroad, or in running over obstructions, so that neither the frame nor themechanism will be strained thereby.

In turning curves, the driving-wheels B B having different rates ofspeed, one of them would drag, and thus retard the speed of thevelocipede. To remedy this I provide means for disengaging the insidewheel from the axle in running around curves. Two collars S, arefeathered on the axle, one near each end, and have pins,which engagewith holes in the hubs of the wheels. These collars are forced forwardby spiral springs S. They are retracted so as to disengage the wheelsfrom the axles by rods S having forked ends, which rest in grooves inthe collars S. These rods project inwardly through the boxes 8, whichinclose the collars and springs, and are connected with levers s,pivoted to the main platform. The free ends of the levers 8 work againstcams T, which have arms t, connected with the segmentsRR by chains androds t. These cams are partly revolved by the forward movement of thesegments, and they are drawn back to their first position by springs tNow it will be seen that in turning a curve the segment of the insideforward wheel will move forward, and in doing so will turn the cam T onthat side of the velocipede and disengage the inner rear wheel from thedriving-axle. When the for ward wheels are again turned,to guide the velocipede straight forward, the spring will throw the collar immediatelyoutward, and the pins on the collar will engage withthe holes in thewheel, so that the wheel, before disengaged from the axle, will be fixedthereto.

The velocipede is provided with a brakelever, U, which is worked by thefoot of the operator. This lever is pivoted in the main platform, andextends through the same to its under side, where it is connected by achain, a, with an arm, a, which arm is fixed to the spindle of thebrake-arm U. From the arm a a chain, 20 extends around a wheel, a", andthen across the platform to an arm, a, on the other side. This arm a isfixed to the spindle of the brake-arm U A spring, a throws thebrake-shoes out of contact with the wheels when the brake-lever isreleased. By forcing down on the brake-lever the brake-shoes are forcedagainst the wheels.

An alarm-bell, V, is mounted on the upper end of the shaft R. The hammerof this bell is carried by a lever, V, which is pivoted to the frame andhangs down close to the side of the balance-wheel E. A pin, U, on theside of the balance-wheel strikes the lower end of the bell-lever V andrings the bell every time such balance-wheel revolves. To move thebelllever out of the way of the pin '0, I provide a notched bar, V whichis carried by a loop on one side of the spindle 10 above thesteeringwheel Q. The rack-bar N, for working the tighteners, is carriedby a loop on the other side of the head of said spindle.

The working parts of the machine can be in- At the rear the mainplatform can be extended and be provided with one or more seats forpassengers and a place to carry baggage.

As shown and described, the velocipede has but one foot-lever foroperating the same; but it is evident that the other end of the shaft 1)could be provided with a double ratchet-wheel, engaging with pawlsoperated and adjusted in the same manner as those at the other end ofsuch shaft. To accommodate these additional parts it would be necessaryto place the pulley M between the standards D.

That I claim as my invention is- 1. in a velocipede, the combination,with an operating-lever, of a pawLand-ratchet driving mechanism workedby such lever, and a spring lever connected with such operating-leverand with the ratchet-wheel, substantially as described and shown.

2. In a velocipede, the combination, with an operating-lever, of apawl-and-ratchet driving mechanism worked by such operating-lever,

and a springlever connected with the ratchetwheel by a pitman, and withthe operatinglever by a yielding connection, whereby the ditference inmotion will be taken up, substantially as described and shown.

3. In a velocipede, the combination, with an operaiing-lever, of asliding frame worked by such lever and carrying double pawls, a doubleratchetwheel, and adjusting devices for throwing such pawls alternatelyinto engagement with the ratchets, substantially as described and shown.

4. In a velocipede, the combination, with the double ratchet-wheel F, ofthe sliding pawl-frame F, worked by the operating-lever and carryingpawls G G, provided with arms 2, and the pivoted adjustin g-lever H,connected to such arms 6 on opposite sides of its center, substantiallyas described and shown.

5. In a velocipede,thecombinatiom'with the operating-lever I, of thesliding pawl-frame F, carrying two pawlsand means for adjusting them,the double ratchet-wheel F, and the spring-lever J, connected by pitmant with the ratchet-wheel, and by an arm, K, with the operating-lever,substantially as described and shown.

6. In a velocipede, the combination of the slow and fast belts L M withtighteners for tightening such belts alternately, substantially asdescribed and shown.

7. In a velocipede, the combination, with the balance-wheel E, of abelt, L, encircling such wheel, and a pulley which is connected by atrain of power-gearing with the driving-axle, a pulley, M, on the shaftof the balance-wheel, connected by a belt, M, with a pulley on thedriving-axle, and tighteners for tightening such belts alternately,substantially as described and shown.

8. In a velocipede, the combination, with the slow and fast beltsLM, oftighteners for both ITO belts, connected with a single lever, N so thatthe movement of such lever will apply the tightness alternately,substantially as described and shown.

9. In a velocipede, the combination, with the slow and fast belts L M,of the bell-crank N, carrying tightening-wheel N, the bar 0, having twotightening wheels, 0 and arm 0, the lever N connecting-rods n 0, and therack-bar N substantially as described and shown.

10. In a four-wheel velocipede, the combination, with the main frame, ofthe front steerin g-wheels, having a swiveled connection with such mainframe, whereby the steering-Wheels and rear wheels can rock verticallyindependent of each other, substantially as described and shown.

11. In a four-wheel velocipede, the combination, with a main platform,of a front platform swiveled thereto, front steering-wheels mounted onindependent spindles pivoted to such swiveled platform and carryingsegmental gears, an intermediate pinion, and a vertical steering-shaft,connected to such pinion by a double-swiveled joint, substantially asdescribed and shown.

' 12. In a four-wheel vclocipede, the combination, with the frontsteering-wheels, U G, mounted on independent pivoted spindlescarryingswiugingsegmental gears R R ofthe intermediate pinion, 0,vertical steering-shaft R, chain 4?, spindle Q steering-wheel Q, andhandles Q, substantially as described and shown.

13. In a four-wheel velocipede, the steeringwheel Q, mounted on aspindle and having a notched upper edge, in combination with the handlesQ, hinged to collars sleeved independently on the wheel-spindle,wherebythehandles can be advanced independently on the steeringwheel,substantially as described and shown.

14.. In a velocipede, the combination, with the driving-axle L, of thedriving-wheels BB, fixed thereto by sliding spring-clutches S, thelevers 8, connected with such clutches, the rotary cams T, workingagainst the ends of said levers, and having arms t, the chains t,

connecting said arms t with the steering apparatus, and the springs t,for reversing the cams, substantially as described and shown.

15. In a velocipede, the combination, with the balance-wheel E, havingpin 11, of the bell V, the pivoted hammer-arm V,hanging down into thepath of the pin 12, and the rod V, for throwing the hammer-arm out ofthe way of such pin, substantially as described and shown.

HELANDER KARLSS.

Witnesses:

F. W. KASEHAGEN, 1t. N. DYER.

